With just a handful of nutritious ingredients, these Healthy Pumpkin Muffins are a treat that we love to make and enjoy each fall for breakfast, snack time, or as a simple side dish for dinner. And it’s easy to adjust for allergies as needed!
Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
This easy muffin recipe is loaded with nutrients and the batter simple stirs together in a bowl or blender. Plus, the muffins bake up in just 14 minutes! We make a few batches of these muffins each fall when pumpkin fever is running high—and if I’m lucky, I get to stash some into the freezer for future days.
I love this recipe even more because you simply stir the ingredients together in a bowl—no fancy tools or a pile of bowls needed. It also tastes, great, is super easy, a great way to use up leftover pumpkin, and would be a great one to make with the kids if you like to have them in the kitchen with you.
We love to eat these plain, topped with a drizzle of honey, or even topped with a smear of cream cheese to transform them into pumpkin cupcakes. And you can make one simple adjustment to make them added-sugar-free as a baby muffin.
Ingredients You Need
To make this pumpkin recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients so you know what to have on hand or to pick up from the store.
- Whole-wheat flour: Or you can trade in a gluten-free flour blend.
- Almond butter: Or you can use peanut or sunflower seed butter.
- Pumpkin puree: You can use canned or homemade pumpkin puree. (Do not use pumpkin pie filling.)
- Vanilla extract
- Neutral oil: Such as canola or avocado. You could also use melted coconut oil or butter.
- Maple syrup: Or honey for kids over age 1. You can also use the same amount of applesauce to make this muffin recipe added-sugar-free.
- Pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon: For lots of flavor.
- Baking powder and baking soda: To help the muffins rise nicely.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at how to make these simple Pumpkin Muffins. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the full information.
- Preheat oven and grease a mini muffin tin with nonstick spray. Gather all ingredients.
- Add all ingredients to a blender and blend well. OR add to a large bowl and whisk well to thoroughly combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
- Spoon the batter into muffin tins. (Be sure to grease the tin well with nonstick cooking spray. I find that to be better than using muffin liners, which may stick to the muffins.)
- Bake until golden brown and firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
TIP: The muffins are done when they are set on top, have little cracks, and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly.
Protein Muffins with Pumpkin
The nut butter and eggs in these muffins lends each one almost 3 grams of protein, which is pretty good for a little muffin. Each muffin also has a range of balanced nutrition which makes them a nice snack or meal component.
They are very moist and not too dense, which makes them a nice texture for toddlers who may struggle with the texture of bread.
TIP: Cut them into small cubes for younger toddlers as needed for easier chewing.
Can I make these Pumpkin Muffins nut-free?
You can use sunflower seed butter instead of the almond butter called for in the recipe, but know that there seems to be about a 50/50 chance that the finished muffins will turn green. If you do use sunflower seed butter, I would recommend omitting the baking soda to reduce the likelihood of this happening. (They’d still be safe to eat, they’re just a funny looking color!)
How to Store
You can store these Pumpkin Muffins in an airtight container or storage bag in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the fridge. We like to let these cool fully and eat them at room temperature or chilled.
If freezing in a freezer bag, lay flat so the muffins are in one layer so they’re easy to remove from the bag one at a time—or thaw evenly if thawing the whole bag at once.
Best Tips for Success
- To make this pumpkin muffin recipe nut-free, use sunflower seed butter and omit the baking soda.
- To make egg-free, use a product like Just Eggs instead of something like flax eggs.
- Serve chilled or at room temperature.
- You can use pureed butternut squash instead of pumpkin puree.
- Use canned or homemade pumpkin puree.
- Add ¼ cup raisins, cranberries, or chocolate chips to the batter for extra flavor. Add extra pumpkin spice or even a little ground ginger if you like.
- Eat these plain, topped with a drizzle of honey, or apple butter.
- Let the almond butter sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to ensure it’s not too hard when it’s time to stir.
- Use the same amount of applesauce in place of the maple syrup to make these added-sugar-free.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear what you think of the recipe if you try it, so please comment below with your thoughts!
Healthy Pumpkin Mini Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup almond butter
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil (such as canola or avocado)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup whole-wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a mini muffin tin with nonstick spray.
- Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and stir for 30-60 seconds to thoroughly combine. Or use a blender and blend well.
- Spoon the batter into muffin tins. It should be about 1 ½ tablespoons of batter in each one.
- Bake 14 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in muffin pan. Remove and serve.
Video
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or freeze in a freezer bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 6 months. Serve warm or chilled.
- Add ¼ cup raisins or chocolate chips to the batter for more flavor.
- Nut-free: Use sunflower seed butter in place of the almond butter and omit the baking soda.
- Gluten-free: Use cup for cup GF flour in place of the whole wheat flour.
- Use canned or homemade pumpkin puree.
- Serve chilled or at room temperature.
- Eat these plain, topped with a drizzle of honey, or apple butter.
- You can use honey instead of maple syrup if you prefer for kids over age 1.
- Use ¼ cup applesauce in place of the maple syrup to make these added-sugar-free.
Nutrition
This post was first published November 2017.
Holy cow! This muffin is tender and so yummy. I made it with applesauce for my 10 month old, and used some whole wheat flour and some of his oatmeal/cereal. They are really light and fluffy, despite how wet the batter was. 10/10, totally going to make again.
These taste great but they stuck to the pan SO badly. My toddler enjoys the taste but I was hoping for an easy on-the-go snack and this is not it. I followed the recipe exactly, used a greased non-stick pan and my oven is true to temperature and every single muffin stuck to the pan and broke on the way out.
If a muffin sticks to a pan, it’s not the fault of the muffin. It’s something about the pan or the grease that was used. I am sorry this happened!
How are these muffins so amazingly fluffy?! I used natural, unsweetened peanut butter instead of almond, and homemade date syrup instead of maple syrup. Very happy with the result and will certainly make these again. A great use of a partial can of pumpkin! My toddler LOVES them.
is the oil/butter necessary? my son loves these but i would like to omit them if possible
I haven’t made them any other way and I am not sure they would be as moist if you leave it out (so they may taste dry). Let me know if you try it.
thank you! i made them with half the amount of unsalted melted butter and they still turned out great for my little one. i’m actually about to make another batch since he finished those 😅
Our 9 month twins demolished these! I replaced the maple syrup with apple sauce since we’re trying to limit added sweeteners at this age. Fluffy and delicious.
Best Egg substitute please? 🙂
Summer yummy, easy to make and my 10 month old loves them. I used homemade apple sauce and the pumpkin I puréed after carving it. I enjoyed them as well. I made a Greek yogurt frosting with leftover pumpkin, apple, ginger and cinnamon.
Can peanut butter be a sub for the almond butter?
Yes
I was looking for a pumpkin muffin recipe for my toddler and am glad I stumbled across this one. These came out great! Thank you for offering a no added sugar modification that actually works, as it makes these perfect for infants or younger toddlers. I added a little ground flax seed for some added iron, protein, healthy fats, and fiber.
I made 28 of these mini muffins last night and only had 15 left this morning , family of 4. Safe to say the kids LOVED them
Delicious muffins. I made two batches.
So delicious!! I added chocolate chips and made them full size instead of mini. My whole family loved them!
Can i make these with apple sauce instead of pumpkin puree for an apple variety? I see you have an apple muffin recipe but i just love that this one has all the nutritious almond butter!! Ps- we already tried them with pumpkin and they are superb! Totally your next “spinach banana muffins”.
Sure!
These have turned out perfectly both times I’ve made them. I added a few sugar free chocolate chips to each mini muffin. My 15 month old and husband can’t keep their hands off these!
Is there a substitute for the almond butter/sunflower seed butter? I can’t find that here in Jamaica.
I wouldn’t call these muffins per se but they are quite pleasant. I love that one of the main ingredients is almond butter and there is so little flour.
I made these following the recipe (with the apple sauce instead of maple syrup substitution). They could use a little pinch of salt and I sort of wished they had some sweetness, but the 1/4 cup applesauce was not up for such a task. The texture is delightful – fluffy but holding together perfectly. They taste like bread – neither savory nor sweet. Therefore a perfect canvas for some butter and maple syrup. I like them even though it’s not quite what I anticipated.
I had to bake these muffins an extra 15 minutes. Also, don’t understand why
they are are falling apart when separating
them to dry. I always use a silicone mini
muffin pan and never grease it. Should
I spray the silicone muffin pan?
Thanks for your advice.
Can we use apple sauce instead of maple syrup?
i do!
Love this, my 15mo old ate them right away! After rejecting everything else I had lol.. My batch made 30 mini muffins. They don’t taste sweet like the ABC muffins but still good.
I do want to note that if anyone was looking for a “mess free” muffin – I wouldn’t say these are it. They are soft and pancake-y so they stick to hands and little faces.
Very easy. Popped all ingredients in the blender and poured into the muffin tins. As the recipe says, they baked up puffy.
I love this website. Found it when searching for purée recipes for my granddaughter and now it’s my go-to.
Amazing as always! I made a quadruple batch in order to use a whole can of pumpkin, and each pan turned out wonderfully. My son loves these. I love that he’s getting peanut butter AND pumpkin in each one. They freeze well and still taste great after being reheated in the microwave. They smell really good too.
I’m so glad!
So fluffy and delicious! I love the so slight nutty flavor from the almond butter. These work great with gluten free flour.
Love this recipe! Absolutely delicious! We made with peanut butter and it was great! Highly recommend!
Could I use regular flour for this? Or almond flour? I’d prefer to use what I have on hand, but don’t wanna waste a bunch of ingredients if it won’t work!
All purpose flour will work fine. I wouldn’t recommend almond flour though.
My 17 mo and 372 mo (31 year old husband LOLOL) loved these so much! They didn’t last more than 1.5 days!
Doubled the recipe and made regular sized muffins since I don’t have mini muffin tins. They came out fluffy and delicious. Thanks Amy!
I’m so glad to hear that!
Hi – Can we use oat flour instead of whole wheat flour?
I haven’t tried that so I can’t say for sure, but best guess is yes it would likely work similarly
how did they turn out with oat flour?
I’ve used high-iron baby oatmeal, which is essentially oat flour, and it came out perfectly. I will say that I find the texture is better using 1/2 rather than only 1/4 cup of the oat “flour” though.
Glad to hear that!
Wow I just made these and I’m blown away by the lovely texture. With such a tiny amount of flour I was wondering if they would have that muffin texture, but they totally do! Delicious!
Hi, would regular butter work instead of almond? Nut butters are insanely expensive in my country but Pumpkins are abundant, so would love to give this a go.
Due to the amount of nut butter in these, I wouldn’t recommend that. I do have Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins and this Pumpkin Bread that you could do as muffins instead. https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/healthy-pumpkin-bread/
These are great! Can I safely increase the spice? I didn’t have pumpkin pie spice so used 1/4 + 1/4 allspice and cloves.
You could add cinnamon in with the ones you did. I’m not sure I’d do more allspice or cloves since those flavors can be pretty strong)
I doubled the recipe and used a regular muffin tin. Ran out of almond butter and used half peanut butter. Baked for 20 minutes and they came out perfect. So fluffy!
will these work with almond flour
Probably not since it doesn’t work the same in recipes as wheat flour.
Hi! Have you made a pumpkin smash cake with no sugar? If so, I’d love your recipe! Thanks 🙂
I don’t, but you can look at this Sweet Potato Smash Cake and use pumpkin in place of the sweet potato. If you want to omit the maple syrup, I’d use milk instead. Just a heads up that pumpkin is not very sweet on it’s own. Let me know if you try it! https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/sweet-potato-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting/
Is it really just 1/4 c of flour? Mine came out almost more like an egg bite than a muffin. Still good.
I would check that the baking soda is fresh and active. It’s possible that contributed to their texture. It’s a low amount of flour, but the structure comes from the egg and almond butter.
Incredibly fluffy! I skipped the maple syrup and used pumpkin jam instead of the pumpkin purée and it worked! 🙂
These are incredible! My boys love them!
My toddler loves this recipe! She’s not picky… but definitely does NOT like some things I’ve made. However these she eats everyday for a snack. I’m always happy to sneak a few bites because they are delicious! I’ve subbed peanut butter instead of almond butter and it’s so tasty.
what can I use instead of the maple syrup as I do not want any added sugar? apple sauce or something else? and what quantity, thanks!
Love these muffins! One question… in the nutrition section it says serving size is 2 muffins — is that regular size or mini? Thank you 🙂
Hi- serving size is 2 mini muffins.
I almost never comment on recipes but I just love this recipe so much. I have used ww flour, gf flour and coconut flour on different occasions. I’ve used various nut butters and sunflower butter and subbed puréed pumpkin for sweet potato. Each variation came out great and my 2 yo LOVES them. This is my go to muffin recipe.
So light and fluffy! We subbed peanut butter and they turned our perfectly!
I don’t have almond butter can I use anything else?
You could use peanut butter or sunflower seed butter instead.
Is it possible to make this nut-free? I’d like to make them for my toddler’s daycare class, but, I need to take into consideration any nut allergies.
Thank you!
Nevermind, I just saw the nut-free comment at the bottom! 🙂
YUM. Toddler and I both love them!!! SO fluffy! I microwaved all the wet ingredients (minus egg of course) instead of waiting on almond butter to soften. Thank you for another great recipe!!!
I am a pumpkin flavor lover. I am on a muffin kick for my little man. I made these this week. Froze 1/2 for later. Then I made them the next day to use up the rest of my pumpkin purée. I will admit I made more because I, myself, have been snacking on them when I want something sweet. These hit the spot for my pumpkin/sweet cravings! Luckily, my little man loves it too. My husband had also approved. An all around win-win. Tastes delicious and they were super easy to make. OH! Great heads up on the sunbutter swap that could make it a greenish color. I vaguely remembered reading that tip. Then went back to check after I noticed some green spots. Did not hurt that taste at all,
Hi, can I make this recipe without the maple syrup?
Just prefer to not add any honey or maple syrup at the moment as my lo is still below 1yo. Or would I still need something to substitute it like dates or banana puree or applesauce?
I think I would sub mashed ripe bananas or applesauce to help balance the flavor. Let me know how that works out if you try it!
I made these without egg.. subbed the egg for 1/3 c flax meal + 1/3 c water, used GF flour and PB. Not bad!
Glad to know that worked for you!
Delicious recipe. I used Sunbutter because my son’s school is nut-free and did not read the part about omitting the baking soda- but no one seems to mind the tie dye dark orange/green muffins. Really easy to but together and I topped with a couple of chocolate chips. Will make these again.
This recipe looks great! What do you think about using pumpkin seed butter instead of almond butter? Thank for you the great recipes and for making them accessible to us!
I haven’t baked with pumpkin seed butter so I can’t say for sure, but it’s usually a similar texture to almond butter so I would think it would work similarly!
Can I use something to replace the eggs? My son is highly allergic.
I don’t know that you can replace the eggs in this recipe since there are so many. I would look at using an egg replacer in this recipe: https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-muffins/
I substitute flax eggs in all the muffin recipes on this site. They usually require a couple extra minutes in the oven, but come out great. Through trial and error I found it works in this recipe, but I add a bit of extra flour to prevent them from being too gummy.
Thanks for sharing that!
Can I use a regular muffin tin? Should I adjust my baking time or temp?
Yes, you can make them regular size to make 12 muffins. I think the baking time would be about 18=20 minutes.
Loved this recipe! It was super easy, I had all the ingredients on hand and the flavor is phenomenal (must love peanut butter – I made recipe the PB instead of almond butter!) I might end up eating them all before my little one.
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed them!
These muffins are fantastic. The combo of pumpkin and almond butter flavor is so tasty and different from every other pumpkin recipe. The pumpkin is more subtle in flavor here. They turned out super moist and fluffy.
Can these be frozen? Thanks for another great recipe!
Yes, store in the freezer in a freezer bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature.
Holy crap, I love this recipe! I especially like the amount of eggs and almond butter in this and the very little flour. Baby has no problem eating carbs but it’s more challenging to get fats and protein in her. I imagine other types of puree would work too in place of the pumpkin (and the pumpkin spice)- what do you think? I just love the base of this recipe so would like to do other flavours 🙂
Yes, I think banana would be great and also sweet potato!
Ok so I tried it with peanut butter instead of the almond butter and banana instead of the pumpkin. Had to reduce the maple syrup by half because of the overripe bananas I used. It turned out great! So fluffy!
This receipt tastes more like almond butter than pumpkin. I questioned the high amount of AB compared to P, but I followed it anyway. I used organic almond butter, not sure if that made a difference. Is your measurement correct of 3/4 cup AB and only 1/2 cup P?
It’s the way we’ve always made them.
These are absolutely phenomenal! I made them with Sweet Potato instead of Pumpkin, and they turned out so fluffy and delicious. My toddler also gobbled them up 😀 Thank you so much for this recipe!
I love these. I don’t bother measuring the almond butter because it’s a pain to scoop out. My toddler eats them up on the first day and then gets pickier throughout the week. Sometimes I put honey or jam to entice him.
Not sure if it’s because they are less moist (I usually microwave the ones from the fridge for a few seconds) or he isn’t always in the mood for almond butter? Doesn’t matter, I happily finish them off.
I have olive oil, avocado oil, vegetable oil, and canola in my kitchen. What is considered neutral oil? Which one do you recommend using? Or does it not really matter? Thanks!
I typically use canola for this recipe.
Turned out delicious and so very moist. I’ve been looking everywhere for an all wheat recipe as avoid giving my lo all purpose flour! Just didn’t have enough pumpkin purée so used some carrot purée s as well! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Next up is your wheat bread recipe!
I’m so glad to hear that!
Can I use peanut butter instead of almond butter?
Sure
Super easy recipe and delicious! My LO loved it, your recipes are amazing!!
These are SO good and moist! My toddler loves these! You think it’s possible to sub the pumpkin puree for apple sauce or another puree? Just thinking of how else to make variations of this same muffin. Thanks!!
I’m so glad! I haven’t tried this, but usually well mashed ripe banana, roasted sweet potato, and applesauce works similarly to pumpkin puree in baked goods. Applesauce is a little wetter though, so you may want to use a little less.
This is probably the 5th recipe I’ve made from your site this month, and they are all fantastic! I loved this one and so did my 1.5 year old. Great flavor and texture. Thank you for your amazing recipes for growing toddlers!
Hi! Love this recipe as is for my kiddos – but wondering if I could sub applesauce for the oil, or if that would ruin the consistency? Thoughts? 🙂
Thanks so much for this recipe – it’s so lovely!!
I think you could or just use additional pumpkin puree
I used sunbutter and made full size muffins. The recipe is wonderful and healthy but for some reason my muffins turned green!?
Here’s what I mention in the post about this: “You can use Sunbutter instead of the almond butter called for in the recipe, but know that there seems to be about a 50/50 chance that the finished muffins will turn green. If you do use Sunbutter, I would recommend omitting the baking soda to reduce the likelihood of this happening. (They’d still be safe to eat, they’re just a funny looking color!)”
Can I use regular butter instead of nut butter? Would anything change? Would the recipe need to change?Would the nutrition facts change much?
I haven’t tested it that way so I am not sure if it would work exactly the same. And yes, the nutrition info would change since nut butter has more protein than regular butter (though since it’s distributed throughout the whole batch, I don’t think it would be a giant difference.)
How long do I bake for if I use a regular muffin pan, not a mini one? Thanks for your reply! This looks yummy!
I would guess in the 18-20 minute range!
will this recipe work with flax eggs? my kiddo has an egg allergy but since there are quite a few eggs in the recipe, i’m not sure if it would work? I’ve only ever subbed for 1 egg max . thanks!
I don’t think this is a good candidate for flax eggs due to the mix of ingredients.
So fluffy and light! Thanks for the awesome recipe aw always!
Amazing Recipe Amy. I tried this just few days ago, but I used regular butter. Lol.. and it came out really buttery because of the regular butter, but delicious! I just refrigerated just to control the butter. Added almond butter in the grocery list 😉 . Thanks for sharing yummy recipe! My toddler really enjoyed them! I realized if I used less butter when using regular butter, should have worked just fine.
Yum!! Both my 15month old and I both love these. They are delicate, with an almost cake-like texture, and with satisfying pumpkin-y spice flavours. I only have a standard muffin tin at this point but other wise I’m following the recipe exactly. I also really like that there’s more protein and fat than flour in this recipe. It’s now in my ‘keepers’ recipe file!
I wondered if you ever tested mashed banana (frozen & thawed, or fresh) with this recipe? I have some leftover frozen bananas that I would love to use in baking because turns out that my little one doesn’t love smoothies at this point.
Thanks again!
Hi! I haven’t used bananas in this recipe but if you search “banana muffins” in the little search bar on my site, you’ll see a lot of options to use yours up!
Can these be made without almond butter or sunbutter? What could we use instead? Those allergies run in our family and we’re not ready to introduce nuts or seeds to our 10 month old.
I haven’t tried these any other way but you could look at my other pumpkin muffins or my Pumpkin Bars to see if those ingredients work better for your family.
These are so good! I was worried that they wouldn’t go over that well because they’re a bit lower in sugar, but both of my boys loved them. And so did I! Thanks for all the great healthy muffin recipes!
I actually did it twice. First attempt, I substituted almond butter with Greek Yoghurt ( I didn’t have any on hand) so it turned out to be more of a quiche. My second try, I followed as it is. I was worried about the amount of whole wheat flour but I just continued on. The muffins turned great! They were still moist and soft for 3 days considering I kept them in the fridge. My toddler like both.
This recipe is perfect! The muffins turned out moist and fluffy and so so tasty! My 11 month old loved them and so do I! I’ll certainly be baking these again and again. Reading the recipe I couldn’t believe so little flour was needed. But I believe that the almond butternis what keeps them so moist and delicious. Thank you for this recipe!
I’m so glad! And I know that the amount of flour is surprising, but they are so darn good!
3/4 cup almond butter and only 1/4 cup flour? Is this a typo or am I missing something. I follow the exact recipe and the batter is very loose because of the 3 eggs and also has a big chunk of almond butter in the middle.
It’s not a typo. Did you bake it? It works even though it’s an unusual batter mixture.
Made with spelt flour and peanut butter because that’s all I had. I was a bit skeptical 6the 1/4 cup and re-read the recipe and comments multiple times. I felt the batter was just to soft. I ended up adding a couple of teaspoons of extra flour just to make me feel better. They came out surprisingly fantastic if I do say so myself. The peanut butter taste was prominent and I’m sure almond butter would have been milder and allowed the pumpkin flavors to shine through but it was still very good.
I’m glad that it worked out and yes, the batter is unusual but it bakes up well.
Hi,
I made these muffins with the following modifications. We don’t eat a lot of “butters” (peanut, sunflower, almond, etc) and all I had was peanut butter and didn’t want to use that. So instead I used plain Greek yogurt.
I also didn’t have maple syrup and so I used honey.
I thought I had pumpkin pie spice but it turns out I didn’t (why am I even baking at this point??) so I used my own measurements of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and ginger.
At the last minute I added grated carrot.
The batter seemed thin, which worried me and I added a bit more flour…but I was scared to add too much since I just wasn’t sure how it was going to cook up.
They cooked up surprisingly well but definitely came out quite quichey in texture. They’re very moist and easy to eat. They did hold their shape well. My 11 month old seemed to like them a lot. I found them quite flavourful and would probably tone down some of the spices.
Will make again. Thanks!
I’m glad they worked out!
Delicious, I used Nutzo instead because that’s what I like and I don’t think it changed the taste much
Hi there can I use almond spread instead of almond butter?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure but let me know if you do!
This is my go-to muffin recipe for my 14 month old. If you follow the instructions, these bake perfectly. I love that these are muffins that my daughter can snack on that are actually fairly low in carbs but high in protein and fat – exactly what my growing vegetarian kiddo needs in her diet! We’ll be making these for years to come. For younger kids, we halved the amount of maple syrup with great results. They were still slightly sweet and delicious.
Thanks so much for sharing that Shelby and I’m so glad that they’re working so well for your family!
This recipe is easy, fast and delicious! My 14 month old loved the muffins. They are so moist perfect for him to chew since he has no molars. Mini pumpkin muffins will be a tradition for years to come in our home. Thanks Amy!
This looks like a great recipe to try for my 13 month old. I would like to add just a little oatmeal. Do you know how that would change the quantity of other ingredients?
I think you could probably use it in place of the flour or do half oatmeal and half flour with good results.
Can you freeze?
yes! They freeze really well. Store in a zip top freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the fridge.
Is there an error in the recipe, like it should say 1 and 1/4 cups of flour? I added 1/4 c of flour only as listed and the muffins turned out very oily and eggy. I did use regular butter instead of almond butter, but I doubt that was the issue.
There is not an error in the recipe—regular butter will not bake the same as almond butter in this recipe due to it being very low in gluten. It works very well as written!
I Agree it seemed very oily , the eggy-ness didn’t bother me. Also I used sunflower butter in hopes to take to preschool snack and that’s all I could taste, I want to try w 1/4c of the sunflower butter and 1c pumpkin. I tasted no pumpkin.
How would you adjust the baking time for regular sized muffins, not mini?
I haven’t made them full size but I would guess in the 18-22 minute range would be right.
Can you use peanut butter instead of almond butter?
They will have a slightly different flavor but I would think so!
I made them with peanut butter instead of almond butter and replaced oil with apple sauce (same amount in recipe) and they came out delicious! Fluffy and the right amount of balanced flavors. My 2 year old ate 3 before I could even stop him! they were a big hit with both of my toddlers (2 and 3.5).
These were so good my 2 1/2 year old immediately gobbled up two! I added two tablespoons of Hemp hearts also for some added texture.
Can these be frozen also?
I’m so glad and I love the hemp seeds add! You can freeze them once cooled. Add them to a zip top freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw at room temp or in the fridge or briefly warm in the microwave.
As someone who bakes frequently, I was worried about how this recipe would come out. Also, as someone who recently tried to give her toddler a healthy “cupcake” and failed, even more worried.
But, honestly, I think this recipe is failproof. I substituted brown sugar for the syrup, as it was what I had on hand, and half of the oil with unsweetened applesauce. (Next time, I will only use the applesauce since the nut butter already has a decent fat content to it.) But, they came out perfectly. And my child LOVES them. I have no doubt that we will frequently be using this recipe. Thank you so much!
I love the idea of using applesauce—and I’m glad that these turned out well for you!
Hello. So if using chia instead of eggs, do you grind them up first? Do you prefer chia over flaxmeal as an egg substitute for muffins? Thanks in advance 🙂
When using chia, I don’t grind them first. Flaxseed meal can work too though I tend to use chia more often just as a preference.
Could these be made with peanut butter if I don’t have almond butter?
I haven’t tried that and haven’t combined the flavors of peanut butter and pumpkin but otherwise I’m sure that it would work fine!
Delicious, light and perfectly pumpkin spice-y. I made them with sunflower seed spread for my son’s school so they’d be nut free. Only downside is that the sunflower seed taste really came through but it was only an issue because it’s not my favorite taste. The kiddos didn’t mind though and it meant everyone was able to enjoy them. I will definitely make again at home with the almond butter.
I’m glad that the kids enjoyed them and that they were safe for everyone!
I can’t truly rate the recipe yet, because I made a HUGE omission by mistake. Giving it a 5 star for my mistake version though. I forgot the almond butter. To my surprise, they came out amazing. Firm enough, but custurd-y. The flavor was great. I’ll have to try it with the almond butter next time, but for a lighter calorie mom-version of this snack, I’ll be cooking it without the almond butter again. (Feel free to use that omission as another recipe to post if you try and like it. Maybe “Gluten free Pumpkin Custard Bites” or something) I checked them after 12 minutes in the oven and took them on out. I subscribed to your email. I definitely need tips on feeding my 3 and 6 year old. We have gotten into some unhealthy food patterns and that needs to change.
Thanks!
That’s so good to know! I have plenty of pumpkin but no almond butter in the house so your variation may happen this weekend!
What can we substitute for the peanut butter if we don’t want to use any nut butter?
You can use sunflower seed butter instead!
Thank you for this great recipe. Mine came out of the oven looking great…puffy, aromatic, delicious. But after I stored them in the refrigerator overnight in an airtight container, they turned GREEN! Has anyone else had this happen to their muffins? The flavor didn’t change, but I just found it strange that they turned green.
Did you use almond butter or another nut butter? It’s possible the nut or seed butter interacted with the baking soda…though I’ve made these a few different ways and haven’t had that happen—but I know it sometimes can!
Mine turned green too! I used sun butter. The color change didn’t affect flavor but I did find it odd. 🙂
It seems to be a possibility with Sun butter but it doesn’t always happen. Odd for sure!
Yes I did use Sun Butter so that’s probably why they turned green. Thanks!
I also used sun butter and topped with cream cheese frosting and I noticed some turned green where they interacted with the frosting. I didn’t refrigerate them, baked and brought right to an event.
Thanks for sharing that! I’m trying to figure out a solution to still use Sunbutter but avoid the chance of the color issue.
Your muffins have become a staple at my house (applesauce, spinach/banana) and these are definitely in the rotation now! The flavor is great and the texture is really nice too- moist and fluffy. I followed the recipe exactly for the ingredients but did end up baking them a few extra minutes.
I’m so glad to hear that and I appreciate hearing that yours took a few minutes longer to bake!
These are so great! We used sunbutter instead of almond butter because of an allergy and they turned out wonderful. Thanks for the great recipe!
how would you adjust the cooking time on these if making them in a regular muffin tin?
I’d check them for doneness (a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean) starting at 18 minutes. It could take up to 22 or so.
Thanks for the comment! It’s been a while since I’ve made these so I’ll plan to retest them this fall and will update the recipe if needed.
Do you have nutrition values on these, please. They look yummy!!
Just to make sure before I make these with coconut flour.. Is it an even substitution of flour? Usually coconut flour is a small amount and I have been warned a little goes a long way. Thanks!! Can’t wait to try these
Hi Faye. I haven’t tried these with coconut flour and I’ve only used it a few times so I don’t have a suggestion for a substitution other than start with less than the recipe calls for since it absorbs a lot and add more as needed to make a batter that looks like muffin batter should look. I hope you have success!
Hi there! My son is allergic to eggs. Do you think yogurt is a good substitute in this recipe? I usually do a 1/4 cup for each egg in a recipe. Thanks!
Hi! I haven’t used yogurt as an egg replacer before, but if you’ve used it in other muffin recipes, I would expect the results to be similar here. I have used chia seeds as an egg replacer in some muffin recipes with great success, so that would be an option too. Let me know if you have any other questions!
Hi Amy!
Made these last night. Only had 1/2 cup of almond butter but they still held up. Except mine turned out very dark and brown, not the pale orange of the ones in your photo. I was wondering if 1 1/2 TBSP of cinnamon is right? Maybe that’s why mine were so dark? Most recipes similar to this that I’ve made call for that amount but is tsp. any suggestions? Which brand of almond butter do you use? Regardless, they were tasty and my friends devoured them and wanted the recipe!
Hi Anne! I did do tablespoons (the flavor helps to perk up the squash) but the color would depend on the color of the almond butter (I usually either use Marantha or Zinke Orchards), the color of your maple syrup, and the color of your pumpkin. It’s also possible that reducing the amount of the almond butter impacted the color too. Either way, I’m glad that they tasted good!
Thank you Amy! We usually use Marantha but it was one of those weeks when we ran out before our next Des Moines day and had to get Justin’s from HyVee. Our pumpkin was pretty orange (our own, not from the can). We’ll need to stock up on cinnamon if we make these often. 🙂